NBC Thinking Outside the Booth with Their MLS Soccer Coverage

Today in my Washington Examiner column, which did not make the online edition, I looked at what might be a bold new way to cover soccer.Major League Soccer will make its debut on NBC Sports Network Sunday at 3 p.m. EST as FC Dallas will play host to the New York Red Bulls. It is the first game of a brand new three-year deal between the network and the league. Well, NBC plans to use a new way to broadcast soccer that has not been tried before and they feel strongly that it will work out well. Play-by-play voice Arlo White will call the action from the broadcast booth—as is the normal practice—but his broadcast partner, color analyst Kyle Martino, will be positioned on the field between the benches where he will follow the action. If this sounds a familiar, it is. NBC hockey coverage introduced the “Inside the Glass” rinkside analyst to the sport and it has become an industry standard. So why not use it to allow Martino the chance to get a better feel for the game from field level? In a conference call this week with the network about the coverage, I asked both White and ...

MLS Cup Champions: Looking Back at 16 Years of MLS Cup Champions

Major League Soccer kicks off its 17th season this weekend. Nineteen teams will compete for the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy over the course of a 34-game regular season.MLS will return to an unbalanced schedule for the first time in a few years. The Montreal Impact will become the league's 19th team, and LA Galaxy will hope to repeat as champions for the first time in their history. The 2012 season will culminate on December 1, making this MLS's longest season to date. For the first time in the cup's history, the final will not be held at a neutral site. Instead, it will be held at the stadium of the finalist with best regular season record.In preparation for kickoff, I take a look back at the previous 16 MLS Cup champions.Begin Slideshow

FC Dallas vs. New York Red Bulls: Full Preview, Live Stream, Start Time and More

The New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas will help kick off the MLS season with a nationally-televised game on Sunday afternoon. The teams are evenly matched and will be looking to start their respective seasons with a win, so it should be a terrific way to begin the campaign. It was a pretty uneventful offseason for FCD. They did make some additions in the likes of Carlos Rodriguez and Hernand Pertuz to help a back line that struggled with consistency last season. Otherwise most of last year's top contributors return. The Red Bulls made a few signings during the winter, but the biggest news was Tim Ream leaving the squad to join Bolton of the English Premier League. Filling that hole will be New York's biggest concern in the early going.  Where: FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas When: Sunday, March 11 at 3 p.m. ET Watch: NBC Sports Network and MLS Direct Kick Betting Odds: FC Dallas +119, New York Red Bulls +207, Draw +215   Player to Watch for Dallas: Brek SheaWhile Shea might be best known for his recent appearances with the United States national team, he is coming off a solid league season as well. ...

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake Live Blog: Play-by-Play Analysis, Reaction

2012: A Galaxy Space Football Odyssey. The journey begins for Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy as they begin their 2012 Major League Soccer campaign on Saturday, March 10 against Jason Kreis's Real Salt Lake at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.The Galaxy are coming off a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Toronto FC in CONCACAF Champions League play and will look to record their first win of the calendar year.Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised locally by KDOC-TV.The Live Blog will begin at approximately 4:45 p.m. PT/8:45 p.m. ET.Keep it right here on Bleacher Report for continuing coverage of the 2012 Major League Soccer season.Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

MLS Season Preview: 10 Players to Watch in 2012

Major League Soccer's 17th season starts Saturday and after a busy offseason, the league now boasts a slew of new talent to add to a mix that already includes names like David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane. Several of the new additions figure to play big roles in how this campaign plays out, while the attitude and development of players already in the league will have a natural impact on team fortunes. Between the new guys, the old guys, and the guys in between, it might be a little difficult to keep up. To get you started, here are 10 MLS players worth keeping an eye on as the season starts. Begin Slideshow

MLS 2012 Season: 20 Bold Predictions for the New Campaign

Go big or go home. That’s the motto that has been going around for decades now. I figured I’d do the same with this list of prediction for the upcoming 2012 Major League Soccer campaign.  I tried to make sure to keep them within reason, but I can say there is one—maybe two or three depending what team you root for—that are a bit far-fetched.  Just have fun with the predictions. You never know, in a few months I might be considered a genius. Otherwise, we can forget this whole thing ever happened.  And as always, feel free to post your own.Begin Slideshow

LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake : 10 Bold Predictions

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy, after a hard-fought 2-2 draw with Toronto FC in the first leg of the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, begin their MLS Cup and Supporters Shield defense on Saturday at home against Real Salt Lake.Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET and will be televised locally by KDOC-TV. A live blog of this match will be posted on Bleacher Report later this week.Here are 10 bold predictions for Saturday's league home opener.Begin Slideshow

LA Galaxy vs. Toronto FC: Rating David Beckham’s Performance

In hindsight, it was probably a good idea for David Beckham to not jump ship and head off to Paris Saint-Germain after a solid season for the Los Angeles Galaxy, arguably the best ever in his career.After all, his deliveries would be smothered rather easily in Ligue 1. Or they might find someone in a PSG shirt; you never know.Beckham had an average night against Toronto FC in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, and it could have been a downright awful evening had he not set up the equalizer for Landon Donovan in the 89th minute of play.What was perhaps the highlight of Becks' performance was the way he cleared out all those confetti streamers and beer cans in the corners. Not even an avalanche of paper and aluminum projectiles could prevent Beckham from recording at least one assist at the Rogers Centre.After recording the assist, Beckham evened the score in more ways than one. From the the Globe and Mail's Jeff Blair:“Tonight was a great atmosphere," Beckham told Sportsnet as the players filed off the pitch. “The majority were here to enjoy the spectacle. It’s a shame some people spoiled it. It’s disappointing kids see it … but it ...

LA Galaxy vs. Toronto FC: Rating the Galaxy Players

Bruce Arena's Los Angeles Galaxy rallied from a 2-0 first-half deficit to salvage a 2-2 draw ahead of the second leg of the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals against Toronto FC.Mike Magee scored in the 29th minute of play, while Landon Donovan equalized in the 89th minute. The Galaxy hold the advantage on away goals, 2-0.Here are the player ratings for the Galaxy against Toronto. David Beckham: 5It was probably a smart move to stay stateside and finish a long, illustrious career in Los Angeles. Beckham had his share of deliveries, but could not find anybody on the receiving end. His deliveries need some work. More on him later this week. Landon Donovan: 6Donovan wasn't up to full health on Wednesday night against Toronto, but he had a solid game, and was persistent in his finishing. If there is one player than is capable of delivering in the clutch for a team, it's the captain. Robbie Keane: 5Offsides one too many times, and the finishing leaves much to be desired. Still, Keane had a solid loan spell with Aston Villa, and LA fans can expect a much better result from the Irishman next Wednesday in Carson when paired alongside Edson Buddle. Edson Buddle: 6.5The ...

LA Galaxy vs. Toronto FC: 6 Things We Learned

For the majority of the second half between Toronto FC and the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first leg of the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, it seemed as if the most unexpected of heroes would be the difference for the Reds.However, Luis Silva's 17th minute goal failed to hold up late, and the Galaxy now lead the aggregate on away goals with a 2-2 draw at Rogers Centre at Toronto, ON.With that said, here are six things we learned from the match. 1. LA is going to find their title defenses to be a tough nut to crackEven though the MLS season does not start until this weekend, the Los Angeles Galaxy did not convince anybody—at least not this columnist—that they are a club that can defend their MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield. They stumbled out of the gates in front of a hostile crowd and needed all of 89 minutes to regain their form from last year. 2. The long days without Omar Gonzalez...beginOmar Gonzalez's lack of presence on defense has made things difficult for the Galaxy back line, and it showed against a team that had an entire nation on its back. Andrew Boyens did not particularly impress, nor ...